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Collapse of Soviet empire led to trouble

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Thursday April 24, 2014 5:00 AM

The old saying that history repeats itself is a fact. The upheaval in the Ukraine is proof of it
again.

Following World War I in 1918, Europe was reorganized and carved up and old empires disappeared.
As a result, more than 10 million German-speakers suddenly found themselves in other lands, where
they did not want to be and were or felt discriminated against.

Language is always the strongest bond. These “misplaced” people wanted to be part of the
German-speaking world.

A generation later, the unrest grew and Hitler seized on this opportunity and brought the
Austrians and the Sudeten-Germans in Czechoslovakia into the Reich.

The German-speaking people in Poland were the next target and we all know the outcome: the start
of World War II.

Fast forward to 1990. The Soviet empire collapsed and suddenly millions of Russian-speaking
people found themselves in other lands, where they did not want to be and were or felt
discriminated against.

Language is always the strongest bond.

These “misplaced” people wanted to be part of the Russian-speaking world.

A generation later, the unrest grew and Russian President Vladimir Putin seized on this
opportunity and brought the Crimeans into the empire.

Eastern Ukraine will be next. Following that, the emphasis will shift to the Baltic states,
where a large number of Russian-speaking people live.

Kazakhstan and other central Asian countries also have large Russian-speaking groups and are
potential targets in the future.

One would think that politicians would have learned from 1918 when they carved up the Soviet
empire in 1990, but apparently, they did not.